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70 Research Papers were presented by scholars at the Tribal Talent Pool Conference on Multidisciplinary Approach on Tribal Sustainable Development by MoTA
New Delhi, 31st, 2021: The three-day successful event saw the enthusiastic Ph.D. scholars discuss various issues like livelihood, primary education, promoting cultural heritage, the impact of Covid-19, migration, and women empowerment in their thesis and received valuable guidance from the mentors.
Achieving the goal that was set out by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs of giving a platform to the Tribal scholars by providing an environment of learning, support, contribution and recognition under the Tribal Talent Pool initiative, the three-day virtual conference on Multidisciplinary Approach on Tribal Sustainable Development concluded on a high note today.
The fruitful exercise that was attended by more than 300 Tribal research scholars, from different Universities i.e. NEHU, RGNU, Tripura Central University, Nagaland University, JNU, DU, Osmania University, University of Hyderabad, Mysore University, BHU, etc. will enable the Doctoral scholars to participate in various research and evaluation activities to be undertaken by MoTA at Central and State levels.
Speaking at the valedictory session of the conference Dr. Navaljit Singh, Joint Secretary, MoTA congratulated everyone for the success of the event and said that within one year of the initiative, presentation of the 70 research papers by the doctoral scholars during the conference is an achievement.
“The scholars have received good guidance during the event and it is a good platform for them to get a much-needed exposure to fine-tune their research and be able to help the society in a better way,” he said.
He also appealed to the scholars to join the Research Fellowship Program run by the various Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) to further improve their skills.
The heads of various Centre of Excellence (CoEs) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs chaired the technical sessions in the conference and Mentored the Tribal Scholars on various aspect of the paper such as the topic of the thesis, applied research methodology, findings and sources and suggestions on improving the work further to enhance the impact of the research.
Dr. Singh praised the efforts of the CoEs from different domains of expertise on their valuable contribution. “The good response from the CoEs is commendable,” he added.
Stating that the three-day event is a good beginning of the things to come in the future, Ms. R Jaya, Joint Secretary, MoTA, said that there would be a lot of hand-holding and mentoring going forward from the ministry. ” The research scholars face numerous issues in the wake of their research, the ministry, CoE, and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) will see to it that most of the issues are resolved. “The synergies created at this platform will help the researchers get more out of your research paper as there are an exchange of ideas and guidance is given, making it a valuable learning experience,” said Ms. Jaya
Ms. Jaya further added that research is a life-long commitment that is given to society and it should not be restricted to just completing the Ph.D. program. “For the greater good of the society, one must continue to research and seek knowledge to use it for better purposes,” she said.
Ms. Nupur Tiwari, Program Director and Head of CoE-IIPA made sure that the conference becomes a success and achieves the set target. Praising the efforts of all the participants, Ms. Tiwari said that in spite of the challenges faced by the scholars from the remote parts of the country; the enthusiasm was very high to present the papers against all odds like technical glitches. “The platform provided a unique opportunity for the scholars to discuss their work of passion, linking of mentors to scholars and receive further guidance to enhance the project they have undertaken and also the presentation skills,” she said.
She informed that a few chosen theses would be given an acceptance certificate for their work and will also get help in publishing their work in various journals.
Among the presented papers on topics like skill development, migration, health, primary education, the effect of various government schemes, impact of Covid-19 on tribal and sustainable development, the following study titled ‘A Sociological Study on Tribal Migration during COVID-19 Pandemic and its implications presented by Yash Singh Sisodiya, mentioned that there should be focused policies by the government to enhance skills and provide job opportunities and also have policies to capitalize on their traditional occupations and products. The study further suggested that there should be the inclusion of one tribal representative in administration from each tribal migrant community to ensure their democratic participation in the matters.
One more Research Paper titled ‘Critical Analysis on Situation of Tribal Girls in Ashram Schools,’ by Durga Masram from Wardha district of Maharashtra mentions that tribal women in civil society are becoming victims of exploitation on a large scale. There is discrimination based on class, race, and gender in society. She mentions in her paper that though the Ashram schools are a great medium of education for tribal girls and means to uplift them to become self-reliant and confident in the future, they are failing terribly in fulfilling the promises. She says that there should be micro-management by the authorities to check on the irregularities in the schools also, there should be an independent ombudsman to keep a regular check.
The papers presented highlighted many such critical issues faced by the tribal community and also presented with the solution to resolve the issues. The Ministry has always been proactive in taking suggestions from these future think-tanks of the society for sustainable development of the community.
The virtual conference was attended by a large number of approximately more than 1000 Tribal Scholars from across the country.
